When?

Saturday, July 20, 10:00 - 3:00

Where?

1st Floor Hokin Hall, 623 S. Wabash, Columbia
College, Chicago

Why?

Did you think the Telecommunications
Act was boring? Did you hear: "It's going to increase competition ...
make cable TV and phone service cheaper ... transform everything"? Will
it really? Do you know the Telecomm Act guarantees universal access for
schools and libraries to the Internet? Did you know that there is
currently a major rewrite of Copyright Law being planned, and that it
could change the way libraries and educators have used information for
years? Do you know that these big telco, entertainment, and media mergers
affect everything we read, everything that we see on TV and hear on the
radio?

There's a lot of misinformation, confusion, and, let's
face it -- boredom -- when the media talks about things like
"telecommunications," "infrastructure," and "copyright reform."

But these issues are crucial to us as educators,
librarians, parents, citizens, and media, information & computing
professionals.

The Telecommunications Act and the Copyright Reform
Act could change everything!

Arm yourself with information!

The Chicago Coalition for Information Access (CCIA) has
invited panels of attorneys, media activists, library activists, and
others to talk about and answer your questions about how these crucial
issues are going to affect everything -- from whether you can get
any electronic information from a library, to whether public
airwaves are used entirely for profit-making companies, to whether the
government controls what kind of health information you can access, to
whether your personal files can be searched for violations of
law.

Schedule

Introduction:
10:15 - 10:30

Overview of recent and forthcoming legislation, including the
Telecommunications Act, the Communications Decency Act, and Copyright
Reform. Who is behind all this policy-making? Who stands to gain, and
who stands to lose? Outline of today's forum.

What's in the Telecommunications Act for educators and
librarians? What is "universal access" and how is it supposed to work?
How can we take advantage of the Telecomm. Act to leverage support for our
communities, our schools, and our libraries? Are there groups active in
Chicago working on these issues? Panelists will include a local community
computing activist, grassroots activists, and a librarian.

Overview of legislative initiatives in the areas of
intellectual property and freedom. What is Copyright Reform, and how
might it affect the information milieau? What can we do about it? What
are the possible ramifications of copyright reform, the late unlamented
Communications Decency Act, and other policies on privacy and intellectual
freedom? Educators and other participants will get to speak to an
intellectual property attorney, a privacy rights activist, and a
representative of the media arts community.

How will the Telecommunications Act affect media? Beyond the rhetoric
of "competition," who benefits from "deregulation" and who is hurt? The
Act has serious implications for public access to the airwaves, and
creation of monopolies. What if anything can still be done -- here in
Chicago -- to stop the media concentration juggernaut? The panel will
include media activists and professionals from Chicago, including radio,
the printed press, and video / film.

Information about sponsoring organizations and other
organizations working on these issues will be available. Everyone is
welcome to participate in discussion about how best to effect change where
needed; take advantage of opportunities; and protect the interests of
youth, non-profits, and the public.